Papers by Andrew Stewart
Journal of Greek Archaeology 6, 2021
In the last half-dozen years, the early fifth-century BC ‘Classical Revolution’ in Greek sculptur... more In the last half-dozen years, the early fifth-century BC ‘Classical Revolution’ in Greek sculpture and painting has become ‘hot’ again. Did it develop gradually, incrementally, and logically out of the Archaic, or emerge quite suddenly (if so, when?), or involve some combination of both? This article critically re-examines the archaeological and textual evidence for its emergence. Offprints in PDF form for personal use only may be obtained from [email protected].
American Journal of Archaeology, 2020
The cleaning, restudy, conservation, and reassembly of the Nike of Samothrace in 2013–2014 have p... more The cleaning, restudy, conservation, and reassembly of the Nike of Samothrace in 2013–2014 have prompted several new proposals as to its topographical context, date, and function. This article seeks to clarify some fundamental issues about the statue itself; the socle and ship’s prow on which it stood; an associated inscription; the precinct and edifice in and around which they were found; and last but not least, their relation to the sanctuary as a whole. These clarifications should enable future work to proceed on a firmer basis than hitherto. Offprints for personal use only may be obtained from [email protected]
The recent conservation and reinstallation of the Nike of Samothrace, the restudy of its archaeol... more The recent conservation and reinstallation of the Nike of Samothrace, the restudy of its archaeological context and petrology, the collapse of the consensus that it celebrated the Rhodian naval victories at Side and Myonessos in 190 B.C.E., and the growing accord among naval historians that its ship is not a trihēmiolia together prompt a reexamination of its date and purpose. Fortunately, the monument offers three significant clues, all pre- viously overlooked or underappreciated. First, why was it dedicated on the remote island of Samothrace, and not, for example, on independent Delos? Second, although ancient galleys could not fight in gales and never did, why is it battling one? And third, why is its ship made of imported Rhodian marble and probably a quadrireme, a vessel superseded elsewhere by the quinquereme but still favored by the Rhodians? The Great Gods’ res- cue of pious initiates from storms at sea and second-century B.C.E. naval history point to one occasion in particular: Prousias II of Bithynia’s abortive invasion of Pergamon in 155, his impious assaults on the sanctuaries en route, his fleet’s sudden destruction by a storm, and the Rhodian contribution of five quadriremes to Attalos II’s successful naval counteroffensive in 154.
This study, in three parts, addresses the problem of the beginning of the classical style—the so-... more This study, in three parts, addresses the problem of the beginning of the classical style—the so-called Severe Style—from an archaeological perspective, focusing on those sculptures either found, or allegedly found, in Persian destruction contexts or directly associated with the Persian and Carthaginian invasions. Part 1 appears in a previous issue of the AJA (112 [2008] 377–412). Parts 2 and 3 are presented in this article. The first part of the study reexamined the 19th-century excavations of the Acropolis and demonstrated that the style probably did not predate the Persian invasion of 480–479 B.C.E. Part 2 revisits finds from elsewhere in Athens and Attica, Phokis, the Aphaia sanctuary on Aigina, and Sicily, with similar results. Part 3 summarizes current theories on the origins and significance of the Severe Style, suggests that the Tyrannicides of Kritios and Nesiotes, dedicated in 477/6, indeed inaugurated it, and reconsiders the idea that the Greek victories of 480–479 somehow inspired it, at least in part.
This study, in three parts, addresses the problem of the beginning of the classical style—the so-... more This study, in three parts, addresses the problem of the beginning of the classical style—the so-called Severe Style—from an archaeological perspective, focusing on those sculptures found or allegedly found in Persian destruction contexts or directly associated with the Persian and Carthaginian invasions. Part 1, the present article, reexamines the 19th-century excavations of the Acropolis and argues that the style almost certainly did not predate the Persian invasion of 480–479 B.C.E. The only deposit that appears to be pure Perserschutt (uncontaminated de- struction debris from the Persian sack) contained only archaic material. The remaining deposits are all later construction fills for the Kimonian/Periklean fortification project of ca. 467–430. The 15 Severe Style sculptures found in them can be shown to postdate the Athenian reoccupation of the citadel by as much as 40 years. Parts 2 and 3 will appear in forthcoming issues of the AJA. Part 2 reexamines deposits from elsewhere in Athens and Attica, in the Aphaia sanctuary at Aigina, and on Sicily, with similar results. Part 3 summarizes current theories about the origins and meaning of the Severe Style; examines the trend toward austerity in Late Archaic Greece, suggesting that the Tyrannicides of Kritios and Nesiotes (477/6) indeed inaugurated the Severe Style; and proposes that the theory that it was somehow occasioned by the Greek victories of 480–479 is worth reconsidering.
The Capitoline Aphrodite (fig. 1) counts among the most copied statues of antiquity. In 1951, Bia... more The Capitoline Aphrodite (fig. 1) counts among the most copied statues of antiquity. In 1951, Bianca Felletti Maj collected 101 replicas of the type compared with 33 for the Medici Aphrodite (fig. 2) and a mere five for the so-called Aphrodite of the Troad; and many more examples have surfaced since.1 Y et despite the Capitoline type’ s popularity, the date, location and authorship of its original remain clouded, as does its relation to these other ‘pudica’-type Aphrodites, especially the Medici. Leaving aside the Aphrodite of the Troad, this article presents new evidence that may resolve one of these problems and sheds some new light upon some of the others.
The Burlington Magazine, 2001
I HAVE been intrigued for some time by the resemblance between David's Horatii and the Roman copi... more I HAVE been intrigued for some time by the resemblance between David's Horatii and the Roman copies in Naples of the early fifth-century B.C. statues of the two Athenian tyrannicides Harmodios and Aristogeiton. It is now possible to suggest a connection through which David may have used the Aristogeiton as a source for his oath-taking triplets, and the Harmodios and another Roman copy, probably of a triumphant Perseus as a model for their rejoicing father. The missing link is these statues' conversion in the late sixteenth century into a group of the Horatii and Curiatii.
Reviews by Andrew Stewart
Sehepunkte, 2020
Review of Ralf von den Hoff's "Action" portraits of Alexander
Pp. xvi + 365, figs. 108. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2015. $99. ISBN 978-1-107-05536-0... more Pp. xvi + 365, figs. 108. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2015. $99. ISBN 978-1-107-05536-0 (cloth). This book is ambitious, timely, and the product of a huge amount of diligent research. Although I am no expert on the arcana of Greek dress and personal adornment, Lee clearly has read, absorbed, and considered at length almost everything published on the subject. (Some rare omissions are noted below; and unfortunately, M. Gkikaki's useful dissertation on Greek hairstyles, Die weiblichen Frisuren auf den Münzen und in der Grossplastik der klassischen und hellenistischen Zeit [Rahden, Westphalia 2014], appeared too late for inclusion.) Lee's holistic approach leads her to address the full range of issues associated with the person and personal adornment in archaic and classical Greece (the Hellenistic period is omitted, as it so often is): the body and its modification (chs. 2-3), garments (ch. 4), accessories (ch. 5)
Review of a recent book on the Nike of Samothrace
Athenian Agora by Andrew Stewart
Hesperia , 2022
Using new interactive digital reconstructions, we propose that a recently discussed statue base i... more Using new interactive digital reconstructions, we propose that a recently discussed statue base in the Athenian Agora could have accommodated both pairs of Tyrannicides after Alexander returned Antenor’s from Persia in 323 B.C.; that it would have revived a famous Athenian commemorative practice after the Persian withdrawal in 479; that the monument’s potency as an icon of Athenian fear and loathing of tyranny evolved but did not necessarily shrink under the Successors; and that any other candidate for its Hellenistic and later appearance should echo, more or less, this base’s dimensions, form, and construction. We also urge that for such visualizations, guidelines formulated by specialists in cultural heritage reconstruction have much to recommend them.
A digital offprint (PDF) is available from the author (Andrew Stewart) upon request.
Hesperia, 2022
Concluding Remarks on the Sculptures of the Temple of Ares (Athena Pallenis). ABSTRACT This artic... more Concluding Remarks on the Sculptures of the Temple of Ares (Athena Pallenis). ABSTRACT This article, the last of four, summarizes the results of a decade of work on the sculptures of the Temple of Ares, and supersedes some of the tentative conclusions advanced earlier in the series. It assesses the original Periklean project (especially its possible genesis as a response to the plague of 430-426 B.C.) and the Augustan modifications to it after the temple's transfer from Pallene to the Agora ca. 15 B.C. A chronological appendix charts the temple's prehistory from the 8th century b.c. through the Persian sack of 480; its history from ca. 430 through its destruction in late antiquity; and finally its recovery from the Greek excavations of 1891 to the present. Offprints in PDF form for personal use only may be obtained from [email protected].
Known and Unknown Nikai in History, Art, and Life
Invited for an exhibition at the Athens National Museum to celebrate the beginning of the Greek W... more Invited for an exhibition at the Athens National Museum to celebrate the beginning of the Greek War of Independence 200 years ago, this essay discusses the role of the goddess Nike in the sculptures of two fifth-century Athenian temples: the Hephaisteion, begun probably in the 470s and completed in the 410s, and the Temple of Ares, brought in from the Attic deme of Pallene and re-erected in the Agora under the Roman Emperor Augustus.
Hesperia, 2021
This article discusses 22 marble sculptures from the Agora excavations of 1890-1891 and 1931 to t... more This article discusses 22 marble sculptures from the Agora excavations of 1890-1891 and 1931 to the present. It attributes them to the Temple of Ares (originally the Temple of Athena Pallenis at Pallene) on the basis of their scales, findspots, subject matter, technique, and styles. Both pediments featured Athena, and on the east a young hero, probably Theseus. The metopes showed Theseus's victory over the Pallantids (east) and an Amazonomachy (west). The akroteria comprised a descending wingless female, possibly Hebe, and two Nereids riding dolphins (east), and two Nikai flanking a central female figure, perhaps Iris (west). A coda announces a final, concluding article that will seek to draw together the preceding three in a series.
Hesperia 88.4, 2019
A B S T RAC T This article discusses 49 high-relief, half-life-size marble fragments from the Ago... more A B S T RAC T This article discusses 49 high-relief, half-life-size marble fragments from the Agora excavations (the so-called Agora high-relief frieze) and one from the Roman Agora. It attributes them to the pronaos and opisthodomos friezes of the Temple of Ares, originally the Temple of Athena Pallenis at Pallene. The iconography of the friezes, the temple's sacred law, and its original orientation toward Apollo's sacred isle of Delos prompt an identification of their subjects as the introduction of Apollo to Pallene (east) and a joint sacrifice to him and Athena (west). Dated to ca. 430-425 b.c., they are examined in relation to the temple's possible genesis as a response to the great plague of 430-426.
Hesperia 87.4, 2018
This article attributes 25 fragmentary sculptures from the Agora excavations to the pediments and... more This article attributes 25 fragmentary sculptures from the Agora excavations to the pediments and akroteria of the Hephaisteion on the basis of their compatibility with the akroterion bases and the sockets in the pediment floors, and their poses, identities, findspots, marble, scales, weathering, styles, and technique. Comprising, in the pediments, the Birth of Athena (east) and the Return of Hephaistos to Olympos (west), and, as akroteria, the Nereids Thetis and Eurynome (west) accompanied by Nikai, the two ensembles are dated to ca. 430 and ca. 420–413 b.c., and their religious and cultic significance is examined in the context of the temple's sculptured kosmos as a whole.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hesperia has embargoed this article for three years from date of publication. It may be downloaded from JSTOR at the URL given below. Those without access to JSTOR and independent researchers may obtain a copy from the author.
Hesperia, 2017
This article attributes five fragmentary sculptures from the Agora excavations
to the east pedim... more This article attributes five fragmentary sculptures from the Agora excavations
to the east pediment and akroteria of the Temple of Apollo Patroos, on the
basis of their scale, technique, style, and subjects. Comprising an epiphany
of Apollo with the Muses in the pediment and the slaughter of the Niobids
above it, the ensemble is dated to ca. 306–300 B.C. in accord with the temple’s
revised date of ca. 313–300 proposed by Mark Lawall in 2009. Its religious
and political significance is examined. Two appendixes revisit Euphranor’s
statue of Apollo Patroos and other sculptural fragments found around the
temple, and the Niobids that Pausanias saw in the choregic monument of
Thrasyllos.
Hesperia, 2017
This article is the third in a series publishing the Hellenistic freestanding
sculpture from the... more This article is the third in a series publishing the Hellenistic freestanding
sculpture from the Athenian Agora. A statuette of Agathe Tyche (1) is
apparently the last in a century-long sequence that begins with the impressive
ex-Aphrodite, S 37; a woman wearing a headscarf (2) joins a small group of
such pieces, including the famous “Slipper-Slapper” from Delos; six small
heads and one archaistic kore (3–9) complement those Aphrodites published
in Part 1 of this series; the Artemis (10) is identified as Artemis Boulaia,
worshipped by the Boule from ca. 270; an Athena and Pan (11, 12) complete
a trio of sculptures from a Hellenistic workshop in the Industrial District; and
a small female herm (13) from the “Bone Well” is shown not to be Aphrodite
Ourania, as often assumed, but a domestic statuette of Eileithyia, and reasons
are proposed for its presence in the well.
This article, the second in a series publishing the Hellenistic freestanding sculpture from the A... more This article, the second in a series publishing the Hellenistic freestanding sculpture from the Athenian Agora, collects four fragments of over-life-size female statues and two related heads. Dating to ca. 150 b.c., all but one of the related pieces are attributable to the Polykles family from Thorikos. The fragments are apparently from a cult group of Demeter and Kore, and they broaden our understanding of the technique, style, and iconography of the genre. They also contribute significantly to our knowledge of Hellenistic Athenian sculpture from Athens, illuminating the Athenian portion of the Polykles family’s sculptural production, and they compare favorably with other mid-Hellenistic cult statues from elsewhere in Greece.
Uploads
Papers by Andrew Stewart
Reviews by Andrew Stewart
Athenian Agora by Andrew Stewart
A digital offprint (PDF) is available from the author (Andrew Stewart) upon request.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hesperia has embargoed this article for three years from date of publication. It may be downloaded from JSTOR at the URL given below. Those without access to JSTOR and independent researchers may obtain a copy from the author.
to the east pediment and akroteria of the Temple of Apollo Patroos, on the
basis of their scale, technique, style, and subjects. Comprising an epiphany
of Apollo with the Muses in the pediment and the slaughter of the Niobids
above it, the ensemble is dated to ca. 306–300 B.C. in accord with the temple’s
revised date of ca. 313–300 proposed by Mark Lawall in 2009. Its religious
and political significance is examined. Two appendixes revisit Euphranor’s
statue of Apollo Patroos and other sculptural fragments found around the
temple, and the Niobids that Pausanias saw in the choregic monument of
Thrasyllos.
sculpture from the Athenian Agora. A statuette of Agathe Tyche (1) is
apparently the last in a century-long sequence that begins with the impressive
ex-Aphrodite, S 37; a woman wearing a headscarf (2) joins a small group of
such pieces, including the famous “Slipper-Slapper” from Delos; six small
heads and one archaistic kore (3–9) complement those Aphrodites published
in Part 1 of this series; the Artemis (10) is identified as Artemis Boulaia,
worshipped by the Boule from ca. 270; an Athena and Pan (11, 12) complete
a trio of sculptures from a Hellenistic workshop in the Industrial District; and
a small female herm (13) from the “Bone Well” is shown not to be Aphrodite
Ourania, as often assumed, but a domestic statuette of Eileithyia, and reasons
are proposed for its presence in the well.